Lenovo ThinkPad X280 Review
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- čas přidán 22. 08. 2024
- Lisa Gade reviews the Lenovo ThinkPad X280, a 12.5” business Ultrabook with Intel 8th gen Kaby Lake R quad core CPUs, Thunderbolt 3 and a durable yet slim carbon fiber and magnesium build.
** Get it on Amazon: amzn.to/2uQXMfg
The X280 gets a redesign, and it’s distinctly different from the boxy ThinkPad X270, though the slimmer and lighter X280 loses a few compelling features like the Bridge Battery system. Now it’s the 12.5” “mini” version of the X1 Carbon in terms of design. The laptop is available with up to a full HD IPS touch screen, 16GB DDR4 RAM and an M.2 SSD (SATA3 and PCIe NVMe options available). It has a fingerprint scanner, optional Windows Hello camera, optional 4G LTE, Intel 8265ac WiFi and a 48 WHr battery that supports quick charging. Pricing starts around $1,180. It competes with the Dell XPS 13 and other small high end Ultrabooks.
5 years later and i still love that cute laptop
I just ordered one on eBay - do you still use it?
@@LocalRecycling yes :) works flawlessly for me
how much u got it
@@justi8072 200$ , refurbished second hand
@@justi8072 $150
As a lifetime x-series customer, I'll be looking for a new manufacturer this time around.
I didn't change, Lenovo. You did.
no, you never changed, you always have and always will be an incel.
So, Lenovo removed everything that made a Thinkpad a Thinkpad in the first place. Got it. What a hunk of junk. That's the end of the line for me. Taking away features and serviceability is NOT progress! Not being able to upgrade the RAM in a business laptop is disgraceful.
I super duper agree to this.
Lenovo going the apple way. So pathetic. Shouldn't be called a ThinkPad anymore.
so true, and sad. Sigh.. i hope they bring some of the good old thinkpad DNA back in the next series like the mis-step with the x240 touchpad which got corrected in the x250.
Just bought a used x240 instead of this shit.. Still runs like new and you can swap ram and ssd. I hope lenovo will make them like they used to.
Fully agree too. X2x0 series is dead.
Basically the worst of both worlds--the limited options of a thin and light without the premium features such as good display, thin bezels, or battery life. Plus, it costs as much as a high-end laptop.
I'm glad I snagged an X270 late last year. I almost held out, figuring the X280 would have Kaby Lake R and the extra cores. But although I could probably live without the built-in RJ45 jack (I use Ethernet rarely enough that a dongle would be "fine"), and I tend to buy a laptop with all the storage and RAM that I'm likely to need for its service life (although I'd certainly prefer having the options to not having them), the Bridge Battery system was THE defining feature of this series. There are plenty of ultrabooks on the market that do what this laptop does. The features they removed are what made the X2xx series special and desirable (if maybe only to a niche market).
But x270 is not as pretty and has no touch screen? And if you already got a 6 cell batt inside what more do you need, would carry 10 bridge batteries with you? neither can the bridge battery be charged on stand alone basis, can it? So. Should I get x270 or x280?
Given just how many X-series and ultrabook like T and P series laptops Lenove has, they could've left this small utility x280 with the rj45 port and the bridge battery. And the ram slot. Just to have one left that's really configurable.
Hopefully Lenovo will take all our feedback to heart, and fix the issues raised. Lower sales will educate the new designers and product marketing teams. Let's let them know we don't need it in colors; we just need it to work beautifully for 10 years!
RIP Thinpad X-Series.
Farar Rarara Feels bad, man.
They had a great run, and a lot of them can steel be found in great shape and the price is dropping. But, bad news in general.
What's the last good X-Series ThinkPad model?
x270 I think, just ordered mine.
@@robertvuitton X220 sadly. X250 is next one.
Disappointing. It really hurts seeing Lenovo missing the point of these laptops.
4Clubs the entire leadership responsible should be fired
Love the t-shirt!
Great review as always, Lisa. Thank you!
+1
I don't know what Lenovo is trying to do with this laptop. There are enough thin and light laptops on the market if someone wants that they can get the x1 carbon or the near-perfect LG gram 2018. Now they are drastically shrinking the battery and the battery life nearly cutting it in half. Thinkpads used to be laptops that you could rely on because of their durability, battery life, and user serviceable components, as well as enough ports for almost any accessory you would need to use. I see no compelling reason to get this laptop now and I really hope they don't do this with the T series laptops (I'm thinking of getting a T580 perhaps).
Jay Rao Lenovo are playing the long game when it comes to ruining the ThinkPad line. The X280 is honestly a travesty.
If I want something light thin, with an awesome keyboard, and be as portable as possible and last longer then most laptops (including this) I would get a Thinkpad X1 Carbon. Not whatever this disaster is.
The X280 is meant to be the spiritual successor to the classic X40/60s. But without really investing in separate design from the X1.
Pretty sad.
couldn't agree more
And here I am still using my x200 :). Lenovo is gonna cheapen out and fuck up every thinkpad line. Started with the new keyboard and now this.
Great review, but what a disappointing laptop: No hard drive bay, no user serviceable ram, fewer ports, no battery swapping,...
It's like they took away everything that makes this laptop a thinkpad (except for the crappy TN panel on the base model. Some things never change).
Only actual improvement they made was the addition of the privacy shutter on the camera.
Is it confirmed the RAM cannot he upgraded after purchase?
Frederic Wong Lisa shows the internals on this video, watch the video to see the details. Short answer, yes, memory is soldered on.
Tong Zou I mean, it kinda makes sense to me. If somebody is paranoid enough to buy the option with the shutter I'm pretty sure they would be paranoid enough to not trust Windows Hello to begin with. It also makes sense from a technical point of view: the IR camera needs infrared emitter and sensors, so it's hard to fit all sensors plus the shutter. It doesn't look like a huge problem to me really, it has a fingerprint sensor after all.
Haha look's like my x250 xD
The X270 is the last generation with bridge battery. I have the X250, after 6 yrs the battery still last 10 hours with one larger extended battery and internal battery. The bridge system battery is one of the best thing....sad is gone...
Lenovo, please stop runining ThinkPads. The X series were absolute workhorses up to this model. RAM and SSD upgrades are essential features and replaceable batteries were the unique selling point of these bad boys.
I love your reviews. PLEASE KEEP DOING THEM!!!
They killed it! :'( R.I.P x200 series.
12.5" wouldn't be so small if it weren't 16:9 (and the bezels aren't helping).
The bridge battery system is a large part of why I got a ThinkPad in the first place. This is fine and dandy I guess but I'll stick with my Tx60 series (T460 w/ Arch right now)
Micro SD card reader instead of standard? No replaceable battery? No ethernet jack?? Lenovo, this is an X Series...what are you guys thinking?
Wow I just love your videos. You give so many details that make it easy to make the right choice when purchasing something. I bought this computer because of your video. I didn’t even know it was touchscreen until I watched this video
i think lenovo made huge mistake with this laptop, they could have made a x280s but they had to mess up the x200s series, the reasons people bought a x thinkpad are no longer there, i think there´s no reason to get this one, better of going with an xps 13 bigger screen, better battery life and same compromises
Even xps 13 is more serviceable
Are XPS of good quality? and reliable?
They've screwed big time. They only needed to put 8th-gen Intel chips and increase the brightness of the screen. Maybe giving the option for a 13-inches panel. Maybe. MAYBE.
Instead, they got rid of the battery bridge (WHYYYYYYYYY?), the slotted memory, the RJ45, the 2.5-inches bay, the full size SD card reader. I have no idea why they've gone this way. The X2x0 series is (was) almost perfect, a quad core was about the only thing they lacked. Thanks Lenovo!
Big fan of your reviews. Bummer about them ditching the bridge battery system.
Amazing work like always Lisa.
Great t-shirt for the review of this device. 10/10 would buy.
Great review, as always
Best to stick with the x270, bridge battery, Ram slot handle upto 16gb, ethernet standard charger.
Agree with your point of view (me from a distant Eastern country)
Great video!
Thank you Lisa
I like your videos before I watch them. You're the best
Wow, they really managed to bend the X2xx line completely out of shape. It was like THE notebook for service techs, who needed about everything they just took away, from RJ45 to a changeable battery that kept the thing running for a day and a half. The only thing they had to do was add 4-lane TB3 and be done with it, but no. 😫
Maybe they can try to sell it to the hipsters now. Oh wait, those already have the 12" MacBook for a light device w/o ports. Too bad. 🙈
>The only thing they had to do
tall aspect ratio. When it comes to 12/13", 3:2 panels are _readily available_; there's no excuse except for not wanting to pass the price on to the customer, who probably wants taller screens anyway.
@Stuart Morrow Yes, of course, 16:9 adds insult to injury. But they coudn't even keep the good stuff that was right there. My reasons to upgrade from my X250 just vanished altogether. Derp move, really.
Stuart Morrow I'm not sure if 3:2 but not even 16:10 is trash.
Not sure what you're trying to say. I would prefer 16:10, but I'm talking about 3:2 because the panels actually exist.
Love your reviews
Got this for 250 cad and its so good! Ty Lisa for your review
The M.2 SSD is soldered? I have a small company, and Im co sidering buying this (2024 affordable) laptop for the junior IT Quality Assurance Engineers...(they will plug this to a second monitor)
Why are manufacturers obsessed with thinner and lighter? I mean it’s like I’m holding it on my head!
The best reviews out there !!!!!!!
I have a Thinkpad X201, and an X220T...both are great systems, but not seeing the point of the newer X-series at all. The X220T is a 2-in-1 and the X201 is just a Thinkpad T-Series in a smaller platform. They should have just stopped while they were ahead in the X-Series.
My x280 arrives tomorrow. I will *not* be tossing my old x220 out quite yet, but honestly, it's getting a little long in the tooth. I'm on my third keyboard, my second 9-cell battery, and second wifi card. It just keeps going, and going. I'm not keen on the chicklet keyboard, but I'll adapt. I opted for the 1080p display so I can pack more lines of code on my screen. I'm not digging how big the trackpad is (which I hope will be easy to disable; nubz for life) Wish me luck.
Honestly, X220 design is awesome. If only it had higher resolution screen and supported more memory, I would still be using it.
What an excellent review, solved al my doubts about this laptop, now i just wonder if i should get this bcuz usb C port or x270 cuz of the upgradable RAM
find 16 gb model and go with 280
Hi Lisa, do the full HD touch and non-touch screens have the same color gamut?
Well, at least the t-shirt was great...this is a hot mess of a laptop from Lenovo and needs to be pulled from the market and redesigned before it does even more damage to their reputation...seriously, no second battery, no up-gradable ram, no nothing really, except doing less than half of what it's predecessor did, for more money. This one is a miss and a half. As always, great video, but not even that will save this turd.
Love the t-shirt!!
...Great videos too thanks!!
Lenovo killing the Thinkpad series ...great. I thought they "got it" after the touchpad disaster, guess not. They _still_ don't understand why Thinkpads are/were so popular.
surject I think they totally understand but they've run the math and it's better for them to sell expensive non-upgradable hardware so no expansion possible plus charge a plus for extended support, which you'll need because whatever you need to fix you can't.
I'm not sure if IT guys all over the world are hating the new direction (because they can't fix anything without send them to Lenovo) or happy (because they just need to send them to Lenovo not even bothering opening it up).
NOOOOOOO! NOW I HAVE TO KEEP MY X260 ALIVE FOREVER
i had an x250 but I sold it and got an x220 instead. Its the best generation of thinkpads. Why everything gets worse instead of getting better?! what's with the companies and the stupid designs?!
Also using x220, the last classic Thinkpad
You get older.
you got X220 by ditching x250? How did you manage that? I'm still using my x220 after 5 years of rough use. Only upgraded HDD to SSD. Battery isn't great. That's all!
At the time I didn't know much about older ones. A while back I saw the older models and fell in love. So I had to get an x220. I am going to upgrade the ram and replace hdd with an ssd as soon as I have the money.
same here, also using x220, just change the ram, ssd and the heatsink
Shame - I have the X270 and it would seem that was the end of the X line as we knew it. ThinkPad should not dumb down their laptops. They should be rugged, expandable and have a great keyboard.
Hi Lisa, thank you for your awesome tech reviews👌👍
Wow Lenovo must be your favorite brand to cover
I wish I had a aunt like you so I could learn more about laptops every day 😂😂😂
You are the best Lisa!
Nice review, covers the important aspects. I thought it woud be lighter, at about 1.13kg. Didn't realise that it is 1.4kg. Was thinking of getting a second-hand unit. Very hard to find a decent, budget 12" device these days. Except the urface with so limited ports and suspect battery life.
Great review, you should make one on the new Asus Flip 14 with Nvidia graphics card. Do you think it would work with 3D modeling and rendering?? If not, what laptop do you recommend? I'm an Industrial Design student so I use Illustrator, Photoshop, Solidworks etc.. I have a $1000 - $1300 budget
Lisa I am thinking of some of these for work do you think x380 or these x280?? Thabks
In 2024, I've just bought a reconditioned one for the durability and portability and low price nowadays. I can take it to work, have it do everything is supposed to, and not have it stolen.
Please answer me, is it really worth it for the price? Is it durable?
so no hdd drive
no ethernet port? WTF?
no memory slot? we all asked for an extra slot and they remove them all?
NO EXTERNAL BATTERY? WTF?
the trollish lenovo x series ever
There is no 32GB memory option even. And similarly in X290.
It is nice to have some small internal battery, but I prefer internal+external, so I can hot swap it, and it make handling of the laptop nicer. Lack of external battery is a minus tho.
The keyboard is substandard too. Minor details that makes it meh, a) Lack of gap between Esc and 1, b) Arrow keys are not full size, for no good reason, c) Silly PrtScr key, d) No Insert key.
No full size RJ45. No VGA port.
I am personally fine with no hdd drive. 1TB SSD nvme is fine for me, albeit a bit expensive. Many people would probably prefer 1TB SATA SSD or 1TB HDD with internal SSD cache (hybrid disk), to be cheaper.
Plus, as always screen is shitty, display bezels are big, and FullHD is as always extra premium. Seriously do we live in 90s?
At least there is still microSD reader. But no SD card reader :/
CPU is good, but cooling is only designed for ~15W, so once you start using all 4 cores it will start throttling in less than a minute.
They are just removing one feature in every generation. All for cost saving, squeezing extra money for accessories, or replacements.
Who asked Lenovo to make Thinkpad X200 series thinner? WHO!? Don't they know they have this X1 carbon thingy already?
Could be worse. nvme drive could be soldered on motherboard too... ok. lets not give them ideas.
Do you really need any of those though? Can’t you just use external hard drives, ethernet adapters, and external batteries?
@@kaylamitchell1982 yes, we do. no, we can't. we're just grabbing a thinkpad without any cables and chargers with us and do our shit no worries, that's what the think things is (was) about
Great and informative video! Can you explain the difference between 20KE and 20KF ? TIA !
RIP Thinkpad brand.
Was looking into the X280, but i soon realized that would cut it for me. Got myself a nearly maxed out T480 with WQHD display.
No external battery anymore, no replacable ram - why? Users who want the thinnest of thinkpads can get the X1, what is the point?
This will probably be the last of the X200 series, this thing has a regression on almost every feature point. Sales will be abysmal and it will be retired early and then next year the X1 Carbon 12" will take its place.
meniscus70 And then sales will still be abysmal because no one wanted this.
Lenovo what on earth have you done? You've turned the X series into a Ultra book which it never was. If you wanted a thin ultra book and all the compromises that that comes with ie fewer ports less & upgradability then the X1 Carbon was for you. This is just a smaller X1 Carbon. A very sad day. I'm dreading what they've done to the T480 now. I have 3 X230's, all upgraded with RAM and SSD, and looks like they'll have to pry them out of my cold dead hands. I still miss the keyboard on the X220, that laptop was the pinnacle in the X series. And worst of all the dock connector on the bottom has gone and Lenovo have made a new series of docks that are USB-C based. These new docks look horrible - you just sit the laptop in and slide in the USB-C connector.
What's wrong with the T480, so that I can avoid collecting it?
Apart from the USB-C dock the T480 looks pretty good. It's the X2x0's that Lenovo really keep stuffing up the design.
You know you can put the X220 keyboard and palmrest into the X230.
Great review but not happy with Lenovo’s choices this time. Love your t-shirt! Have a great week!
X280, X290.. X300? We had the X3xx series, and it was a rather flawed construction.
I wonder which namescheme lenovo will choose.
I was a full-on Windows user about 6 years ago, until I switched to a Macbook Pro 13" Retina Display because of requirements by my office. Then about 2-3 weeks ago I decided to buy myself a X1 Carbon Gen 6 i7 16GB RAM 1TB SSD WQHD just to reminisce using Windows.. and I just regreted the purchase. What I did not like mainly is the WQHD screen, the colors were just to hurtful to my eyes. I just could not use the X1 for long hours. So I trade it online to a Thinkpad X280 i7 16GB RAM 512GB SSD FHD.. I absolutely love it. Specifically with the FHD screen. I was fortunate to compare the screens of X1 Carbon WQHD vs X390 FHD vs X280 FHD.. surprisingly I find the X280 FHD the best and is better than the X390 FHD. I thought that since they are both from the same brand manufacturer and the same FHD screen resolution, they would be the same in quality, but it's not. And now, I just have no problem switching back and forth between my X280 FHD and my Macbook Retina screens. For those interested to buy a Thinkpad and prioritize on a good screen, consider buying the Thinkpad X280 FHD - and with it's portability and performance, the X280 is an almost perfect Windows laptop.
I was just interested in knowing if I can charge it via USB-C and if I can upgrade the ram. Both questions answered, many thanks.
can you review the T480 please
Hi Lisa,
What do you think the best option is for a (higher-quality) 8-inch tablet at this time?
Good review! Would you please do T480s review? :P
I love this review! It delivers the information very fast and up to the point well enough for an attention lacking person like myself. HahaThanks!
Lisa you're the best.
How is the motherboard quality? Any idea about the capacitors manufacturer?
thank God im keeping my x230
Just bought a max spec model for a little under $200 for my girlfriend to take online college courses. These things are timeless productivity workhorses
Is there still hope for a Yoga 920 vs Spectre x360 smackdown? No one has done one and I think you would do it so well
Hey, Lisa. I like your review. Great news about the X280. Since it doesn't satisfy the way cool ultrabook crowd and it doesn't satisfy the IT geeks (see reviews), it sells at a good discount relative to the competition. Sounds like a winner to me!
This deserve a meme..you were the chosen one.
this video is super duper good!!
It is so disappointing that they have removed the removable battery as well as the upgrade options. Guess I will stay will my x260 for a couple of year then.
Hey Lisa, is the Cable Antenna for the LTE in there?
Now that Lenovo moved the thinkpad line away from a productivity tool towards a lifestyle gadget, it is time for IBM to enter the PC market again and reintroduce the original concept of the think line. I'll be the first in line if that happens
Not going to happen. IBM no longer the same as before.
Hey Lisa any thoughts on selling mugs?
I mean this thing is not bad but as a seperate line, dont kill the x2x line! Keep at least one traditional line with big and small size x and t series.
So weird that they don’t use 3:2 or 4:3 for a more compact machine
Lisa, that M2 SSD isn't swappable?
I think Lisa made her attitude quite clear by making a 10min review about this. Cannot be any longer...
i own and love this thing ! the replaceable battery has been replaced by a powerbank, the replaceable hdd has been replaced by a replaceable nvme ssd,.. i think these are good things.
Please do a review on the Dell precision 5520!
The PM981's speed is really crazy... Almost as fast as raid 0 960 pro
Lenovo just killed what made the X2xx series great. the x270 was amazing for the hot swappable battery, longest battery life, hdd was swappable, ram was upgradeable. etc. This is just a small X1. what the hell are they thinking!
They wanted to make their laptops more portable that's why they have made the changes.
Its seems Lenovo try to be like Apple, but not for me! The X and T-Series was in my opinion the best Business Notebooks on the Market. I still use my L420 with Pride. Next Month i will Upgrade to a little bit newer one, i think i will buy a x230t.
Why. why does it seem to me that they are removing all the useful features just for achieving so called "thin and light" I mean what's the difference. im sure we can compromise a few millimetres and a few grams just for a more useful laptop. :( why lenovo, why.
Just ordered mine maxed out with everything. $999.00. I think it's a good deal. What do you all think?
Why Lenovo keeps running the Thinkpad live? If we want thinner and slimmer we will buy X1 carbon.
This might be the worst "next gen" product I've seen in a while.
Samsung offers 75Wh battery with only 995g weight.
X280 even makes the Samsungs 'Business' laptops.
Great review, and great engineering. Pros: fan noise , heat, new anti glare touch screen. Cons: No disk/ram/battery swaps. Lenovo should make a bigger 12 inch to address the Cons
After reading the comments below and watching your review, I determined this product is not for me. Thanks, all!
It sounds better than the X1 Carbon??? Incredible
this is a disgrace to the X series. It used to be all about IT friendliness with ease of upgradability and separability . This should not be considered a business class laptop anymore as businesses should stick with IT serviceability over thin and light. Business users shouldn't be looking for sleek thin and light but better bang for buck investment over time. Once any component inside these newer x series goes out or the amount of ram is not enough the computer's basically a throwaway
Every generation Lenovo adds something good and takes away something important. Will they ever make the perfect Thinkpad? Add Thunderbolt 3 and Thinkshutter? Well, we had better remove bridge battery and solder RAM? Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr! I'll stick with x270 used thanks. And of course, Thinkpads will always have meh screens with thick bezels :( Please try harder Lenovo! Maybe if they aimed for perfection of a few models (t4xx, x2xx, Carbon, P1 and Yoga X1) and made nothing soldered and all configurable, then they wouldn't need to have about 20 different models each year.
Thanks for the review, Lisa!
where do you get these t-shirts?
love the shirt!